LOOP Bus Benefits Exeter Youth
Dozens of Kaweah High School students now have a safe ride to an after-school program and access to mentors thanks to the Tulare County-sponsored Local Organizations Outreach Program (LOOP).
The LOOP Bus Program, available to community- and faith-based organizations, school districts and local government entities, provides at-risk youth with free transportation to activities that connect them to mentoring and gang prevention programs throughout Tulare County. The program is funded by Measure R and the Tulare County Board of Supervisors.
In Exeter, 25 to 35 Kaweah High School students are transported every day to the Boys & Girls Club of the Sequoias to participate in Working On Our Future, or WOOF, a newly developed after school program that targets at-risk youth.
Kaweah High School Principal Denise Akin said WOOF allows students to participate in extra hours of elective courses each day. For example, student participants take courses, taught by Kaweah High School teachers with the support of the Boys & Girls Club staff; such as the History of Rock & Roll, Reconnecting Youth, Career Launch, and Art - all courses that are generally not offered at Kaweah High School.
"Kaweah High School would not be able to offer the WOOF Program if we did not have access to the LOOP bus," Akin said. "The LOOP Bus Program has made it possible for us to develop a wonderful partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of the Sequoias."
Since the LOOP's creation, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors has hosted several workshops to inform and encourage providers to utilize the bus program. At a meeting in November 2009 more than 40 providers, including representatives from Kaweah High School and Boys & Girls Club of the Sequoias, attended a LOOP Bus Program workshop to learn how to participate.
Akin said she is grateful for the Tulare County-sponsored program not only because it allows her students to take additional courses, but it also links students to mentors at the Boys & Girls Club.
"The additional educational opportunities and the connections our students make with mentors at the Boys & Girls Club is invaluable," Akin said.
District One Supervisor Allen Ishida, who represents Exeter, said the LOOP Bus Program is helping to achieve the Board of Supervisors’ commitment to providing positive experiences to Tulare County’s youth.
“The LOOP bus has filled a void in services for these youth, and they are benefitting greatly from participating in these programs,” Supervisor Ishida said. “The Board looks forward to continuing its partnership with school and service clubs in Exeter as well as other providers from throughout Tulare County who help better our youth.”
Tulare County’s LOOP Bus Service is now accepting applications to transport at-risk youth. Applications must be submitted two weeks prior to the requested service dates. Residents can download an application by visiting www.stepuptc.com and clicking on “LOOP Bus Program” or by calling Board of Supervisors staff members Jed Chernabaeff or Jeff Forbes at 559/636-5000.